W3LPL – Severe weather causes damage

The National Weather Service confirms that an EF-0 tornado touched down Tuesday in Howard County, which was hit hard by the massive system.

The damage extends from around Lisbon in western Howard County, through Glenelg and ends around Ellicott City. Despite all the tree damage, there were no serious injuries or deaths.

“Immediately we knew it wasn’t a typical storm,” said Sam Heisig said.

There’s a phrase commonly used in the news business, “lucky to be alive.” For Sam Heisig, she’s getting to know it quite well.

“I guess it’s still sinking in, doesn’t feel real, coming back the next day, house looks like this, no power, it’s all real, a big nightmare,” Heisig said.

Shortly after 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, the National Weather Service has confirmed a tornado passed over Heisig’s Glenelg home, uprooting a tree, sending it into the home, while she and her brother huddled in the basement.

“We could have easily been in my dad or sister’s room, and if that was the case, it could have been any of us,” Heisig said.

On Wednesday, Heisig and her family picked up the pieces. Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman stopped by to make sure they were OK, in awe of the tornado that passed through his county.

“When you have a tornado that goes approximately 13 miles through county and no serious injuries reported, certainly is a positive thing for us,” Kittleman said.